Hi, Mother Nature...

It's me again.

I feel like my last letter may have angered you somehow.

When I said I wanted jeans weather for another month or so, I didn't mean freezing rain and snow. Just cooler weather.

I'm sorry I upset you. I'll take the spring-like weather back and happily use my razor.

Please accept my apology and let the kids have school tomorrow.

Your I-don't-want-my-kids-to-stay-home-with-me friend,
Julie

Dear Mother Nature...

Thank you for this warmer weather at the end of January. Who would've thought we'd have shorts weather in the middle of winter?

But here's the thing... woman to woman...

I stop shaving my legs in the winter. Occasionally I'll try to hit from the knee down just so I don't have to stare at hairy ankles peeking out of my pajama pants.

And I enjoy this hiatus from my razor. I like that no one sees my legs from December to March. And then you throw this curveball this week, and I'm spending an extra 10 minutes in the shower trying to shave off what has been growing since November.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I love the spring-like temps, but could you please keep it jeans weather for another month or so?

Thanks.

Your hairy friend,
Julie

The Band Aid box

I was reading the back of the Band Aid box (Shut up! You do it too. If there's something to read, you'll read it. Especially if you're in the bathroom.)




This is what it says:

"In 1920, Earle Dickson, a cotton-buyer for Johnson & Johnson, noticed his wife suffering from minor cuts and burns while cooking.

Combining cotton with a piece of surgical tape, he created a new solution that protected her wounds and sped their healing.

His insight led to the creation of BAND-AID Brand Adhesive Bandages. We've been innovating to protect cuts and scrapes ever since.

There, for countless moments of caring."

Ok.

Now-- granted I was having a bad day when I read this, but my first thought was...

Seriously? The Band Aid was invented because some guy wanted to protect his wife's cuts and burns so that they'd heal more quickly? Why? So that she could keep cooking?

Ya know, if she's getting burned and cut a lot, Earle, maybe it's because the stove is old and tricky to light. And maybe you should sharpen her knives for her once in a while... Dull knives tend to cause more injury. Maybe she's getting hurt because she's cooking your dinner while the kids are running under foot, distracting her. And-- I don't know --but maybe instead of inventing a BAND-AID so the little woman doesn't bleed on your food, you could help a little more! Stop buying so much cotton and get home a little earlier.

You disgust me, Earle.

But the Band Aid on my leg is working like a champ. So thanks. ;)

Redeeming coupons this way is much easier

How did I not know about this???

Did you know that you can upload coupons onto your Kroger card?

No clipping. No keeping up with paper. You just go online before you head out, click on all the coupons that look good to you, select "upload" and when they scan your Kroger card they'll apply all of your electronic coupons.

I think most of you are smart phone users so you probably knew all kinds of tricks like this already, but it's new to me.

It's so easy...

Here's the link if you're interested...

http://www.softcoin.com/Sites/Kroger_ECoupons/Page/HomePage/Retailer/Kroger

And more links where you can do a Tom Thumb Card or wherever you shop.

This is making life easier for me.

www.shortcuts.com

www.cellfire.com (you can also download their app, and load them through your phone while you're in the store!)

A big thank you to Melissa McDade for this tip!!

How do you spell that?

I've typed the words "Super Bowl" more than I ever have before in the last few weeks. Everyone's talking about it because it's coming to North Texas.

Sorry, Arlington. It's coming to ARLINGTON. But, to be fair, the reason people think it's Dallas is because they are the DALLAS Cowboys. But I understand that you're ticked off.

Anyway... the words always look funny when I type them.

At first it's the word "super". I think, "Wait. It's 'souper'. No, that's not right, Julie. You're thinking of 'Souper Salad'. You know how to spell 'super'; you're not stupid. (You talk to yourself, but you're not stupid.)" :)

So I decide that s-u-p-e-r is correct.

And then I move onto "Bowl" and get thrown off again.

"'Bowl'??? Or 'Boll'? Or 'Bole'? It's gotta be 'b-o-w-l'. But that's a dish. Like one you would use to eat soup. Am I really sure it's not Souper Bowl??? That really WOULD make the most sense to me."

**sigh**

Brain dump

I have lots to do today, so I'm procrastinating. Time to blog...

I'm really looking forward to Vegas in March. My SIL reminded me that Vegas is a place where--fashion-wise-- I can get away with a little more than I might try in Dallas. (Actually that statement doesn't just include fashion. I could get away with more in Vegas in a lot of ways.... but she was strictly speaking fashion.)

And I hadn't considered the possibilities, but she's right. A little flashier. A little more makeup than normal.

I'm not saying I'm gonna look like a bedazzled clown, BUT I do think I need a couple of new outfits for the trip...


However--- This Vegas trip (because it's hosted by Jason's company) is the trip that requires "smart casual" attire for certain functions.

I won't take you through that fb post where a lot of you chimed in on what you think "smart casual" means, but I was cracking UP!!! (And I still don't know...)

Jason's guess is that it means casual but be smart about it. Like if you have to justify the length of that skirt and how low-cut that top is, that's probably not the right outfit.

Ok, I'll buy that explanation. Still, there's something about being told what to wear when I'm an adult that is so IRRITATING. If I want to look skanky when I'm on vacation with my husband, I think I should be able to. LOL!

Anyway... TOPIC SHIFT

Caroline and I play "Ring Around the Rosie" a lot. A lot a lot. The only word she's picked up from the whole rhyme is "ashes". So she'll twirl around and say "Ashes, ashes". Most of the time, though, it sounds like asses. And sometimes it sounds like "ah, sh&%".

I should probably feel bad that it sounds like my toddler is cussing, but it's pretty funny. After all, she's actually NOT cussing, and she only knows that word because I play games with her.

So, see, she "cusses" because I'm a good mom. :)

And...

I was supposed to make a casserole tonight that is so multi-step I want to gouge my eyes out. It's a "boil the chicken and make rice and there's broccoli in it too" casserole. (It probably doesn't sound very good, but it actually is.) But that's a lot of cooking to get to the point where I can assemble it in a casserole dish to cook it.

**Hassle**

And what's even worse, is I'M the one who plans our menus and does the shopping. Sometimes I can tell I was really well rested and/or drinking when I plan our meals for the week and write out the grocery list. Because by Tuesday or Wednesday, I'm thinking, "Crap! What was I thinking? I don't want to make that and it doesn't even sound good."

I'm thinking grilled cheese and tomato soup tonight instead.


OK, Off to be productive...

Fun 2011 Game-ish Thing

It's also a chain email, so you may have seen it....

This year we will experience 4 unusual dates... 1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11.... NOW go figure this out... Take the last 2 digits of the year you were born and the age you will turn this year and see what you come up with.

example =(69) + 42 = 111
for 1969

I'm tired but ready for a good week!! It's the last week of January. Can you believe it??

Working moms vs Staying at Home

Ooooo....... This is the fierce debate. The topic that can pit hard-working mother against hard-working mother.

So let me start off and say... Being a mom is HARD. In my opinion (which is what all of my posts are--my opinion) being a mom is WAY harder than being a dad. And yet, for some reason, we get FAR less credit. It's like being nurturing and selfless is natural to us and supernatural for them. Puh-lease!!

I told yall that I had a conversation with a great friend who is a very successful working mom. She has 2 kids, 14 mos apart, and for a few months, it was her husband who stayed home with the kids because he had been laid off. Now he's working again and the kids go to daycare.

I think that's all the necessary background for you to understand this post.

She said she envied me because I stayed home, and I said I envied her because she worked.

She said she LOVED being home with the kids on maternity leave. I said that was because she knew going in that it was a limited 12 weeks, not 5 years. Per kid.

I said that I feel like I'm scarring my kids every time they see me stress out and flip out. That they're going to grow up thinking that Mommy is crazy. She said that, because she sees her kids for only a couple of hours a day, she feels like she can NEVER flip out around them because that's ALL they'll ever see.

She reminded me that in my moments of insanity, my kids have thousands of moments of fun to balance that. She feels that, as a working mom, she has to work hard to never have those moments of insanity in front of her kids.

After a long back and forth, heart-to-heart, here is what I came away with....

She is jealous of a fictional, 2% of the population, stay at home mom.

And I am jealous of a theoretical, 2% of the population, working mom.

She envisions my days as days of leisure. Naps and PJs. Where I can afford to stay home. And by "afford to stay home" she imagines that on one income, we have no debt, have a maid, attend Gymboree, and I spend my days shopping.

Reality: On one income... we can pay the bills. That's it. We don't take vacations unless someone else is paying for them or I've sold enough stuff on craigslist to cover the expenses. I am my kids' source of entertainment. We can't afford Gymboree. I don't shop hardly ever. And if I do, it's usually with coupons or consignment.

I envision that she has meaningful adult conversations all day. She's dressed impeccably and remains so all day long. She doesn't have to ever worry about her kids because she knows they're in good hands. No matter what her day is like, she got paid for the work she did. And her income affords them a lifestyle of frivolous spending.

Now--for her, some of that is true. But for most of my friends who are moms that work, they are not working for play money. They are working to pay student loans, mortgages, bills. They're sick about missing time with their kids.

As I said before, she feels that she has to keep it together, at all costs, around her children since they only see her from dinner time to bed time. She feels that people at work don't understand or cut her any slack when something with her children becomes a pressing issue. She is on constant "people pleasing" mode ALL THE TIME. And she can never catch a break.

Truth be told, I enjoy the freedom that comes from staying home. I absolutely can lay down and get a nap in, if time allows. I don't necessarily have to get dressed. But I'm also motivating myself all the time. Trying to challenge myself to do better and be better. Some days are great. Other days aren't. And that makes me feel bad because I feel like I should love every minute with my kids. Does that make me a bad mom?

Truth be told, she loves the challenges of working. She loves the paycheck. She loves the time away. And she feels bad about that too. She feels like she should want to only be at home all the time. That she should at least consider walking away from it all. But deep down--she doesn't want to. Does that make her a bad mom?

And so I leave you with this.... I was reminded that....

Moms work hard!!! We should encourage each other and support each other. Whatever decision you've made, own it and love it and celebrate it. We're all doing our best. And we'll all take on some of the blame and guilt for whatever less-than-fabulous decision our children make some day. We'll also take on the credit for all of the great decisions they make.

That's what moms do!

And there are perks and drawbacks to every job. As long as you're secure with the job that you're doing and what your schedule looks like, then work it out the best that you can.

We're all doing all we can do! :)

Things that are on my mind...

Why won't people just turn in their stupid proxies or let me know they're attending the HOA meeting? This is such a stressful time in the life of a secretary. :)

...............

Parenting comes with guilt no matter which way you slice it.

I had a great conversation a month or so ago with a sweet friend who is high up at Frito-Lay. She's my age but has a Harvard MBA and is climbing the corporate ladder. She has 2 kids, 14 mos apart, and we were talking about that challenge.

But then the conversation changed to staying home vs working. I think I'll do a post about that later. She really opened my eyes to some things and I think I opened hers as well.

..............

I love watching TV and I love letting my kids play on the computer. For hours. And if that's wrong, oh well.

..............

God is in the process of really humbling me right now. I'll share more on that later as well.

..............

When Sarah talks in a baby voice, it irritates me beyond words.

...............

Tonight I am booking my flight to NYC!!

..............

I look forward to the day when the kids can bathe themselves and wash their own hair. That'll be almost as freeing as pottytraining.

Tech Savvy Kids

I read these stats today and thought they were very interesting.

(I can't quote a source, and I'm not sure what ages these statistics include.)

BUT

52% of children can play a basic computer game

vs

50% can ride a bike

...............

19% can use a smartphone app

vs

9% can tie their shoes

...............

64% can open a web browser

vs

20% can swim unaided


...................

Ok, so these stats would be more interesting and powerful if I knew what ages these kids were and such, but still... I'd believe it when I look at my kids.

Sarah can tie her shoes and a ride a bike (with training wheels) but she can't swim, and she definitely can do all of the above on the techy side.

Jack can do all of the technological things as well but can't do ANY of the other things.

When I taught 2nd grade, I would say that WELL OVER half of my students still wore velcro shoes because they didn't know how to tie them. But they could teach me a thing or two about a spreadsheet.

It's a different world from when we grew up. It won't be long before my kids are smarter than me along those lines!

Maya Angelou quotes that I am loving today...

I don't agree with everything Maya Angelou says and believes, but I thought these were good. I found them either encouraging for me in the moment or a reminder of things in the past. Either way, maybe you'll be encouraged or inspired too.
........................................................................................

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."


"The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them."


"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her."


"I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better."


"We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty."


"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers."


"Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option."


"Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for."


"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."


"Each of us, famous or infamous, is a role model for somebody, and if we aren't, we should behave as though we are -- cheerful, kind, loving, courteous. Because you can be sure someone is watching and taking deliberate and diligent notes."

Another installment of... Conversations with Jack

It's really not that I think he's funnier than the other kids. It's just that he's the only one I'm with all day who can talk. So odds are, he's the one I'm gonna quote. ;)


This morning he was sitting in my lap, which I LOVE that he still wants to do every now and then. Plus we have our deepest conversations then. This is not one of the deep ones.

Me: I'm tired. I want to go to bed.

J: But it's daytime. You can't sleep during the day.

Me: Sure you can! What's that called when you sleep during the day?

(I was thinking he would say, "Taking a nap.")

J: Oh yeah... I forgot... Being nocturnal.

...............................

I picked him up from school today and he said, "You know, Mom, Mrs. Jerry is the boss of all the teachers here."

"She is? How'd you know that? Did Mrs. Lynette tell you that?"

"Nope. I just know because she's got the widest belly. So she must be the leader."

?????

.................................

Once we got home he said, "You're pretty, Mom, but Mrs. Christi at my school is prettier than you."

Me: Oh really? Thanks for letting me know that.

Jack: Yeah. She puts light blue makeup on her eyelids, and it's pretty.

Me: Oh, that's eyeshadow.

Jack: Well, whatever it is, it looks good because she has blue irises. I told her that today, too. When I was standing in line to go potty.

Me: You told her that she's pretty?

J: Yep, I told her that she's the prettiest teacher. And she said thank you.

This week

My brother, Brian, and his wife, Abby are in town. B had a couple of tests he had to take. Something to do with residency and it's best to take them shortly after graduation. So he's in town. I haven't seen him since May, and I'm glad he's here. :)

The battery in the van is dead... again. And we need a new one. This is the second one in a year. That + the hassle of getting a new key when one is lost + having to replace all the tires = expensive frustration. I hate the van, I've decided.

We have a busy week this week. Lots going on after 5:00 on several nights. It always makes the week a little more hectic when we're going out at the time we're usually winding down. But I'd say that 90% of what we're doing will be fun! :)

Happy Monday!

Beans

When it gets cold outside, Jason always craves a pot of beans.

He wants me to buy a bag of pinto beans which he then soaks in beer overnight. Then we put them in a crock pot along with a lot of who-knows-what-he-really-puts-in-there seasonings, and they cook low and slow all day.

Then he gets some of that Eckrich smoked sausage and makes some cornbread.

And the perfect meal in Jason's eyes is:

Sausage
Cornbread with butter
The pinto beans on top of the cornbread so that the juice from the beans soaks into the cornbread.

Needless to say (or maybe I DO need to say this) this is not my favorite meal. So he probably gets to eat this once every winter.

Pinto beans? Unless they're refried and sitting next to 2 cheese enchiladas, no thank you.

But that was dinner tonight. My man is happy. And that makes me happy.

And I only ate a few beans which I think my stomach will thank me for later.

But-- on that note--fair warning to anyone in Jason's office:
You might want to stay away from him tomorrow, and if his office door is shut, you might want to leave it shut. Or at least knock before you come in.

Time to grow up.... again

On the heels of enrolling the kids for swim lessons that I know they don't want to take, I'm about to have to grow up as a parent... again.

Sheesh! This parenting thing is tough. ;)

Sarah has a friend at school that she considers her best friend. She's been invited to play over there.

This friend's home life is a little concerning to me. I wonder about supervision at this house. I wonder about cleanliness at this house. I know that the older brother who's 12-ish has been busted looking at porn on the Internet. Sarah's friend splits her time between her parents' apartment and her grandparents' house and, even though I've met everyone at birthday parties and such, meeting them didn't make me feel any better. You know what I mean?

There are a lot of things that make me think, "I don't want her over there." I know that 12 year old boys are starting to have their hormones kick in. That's normal. But I don't know him. I don't know how closely his grandparents watch him or if he's ever left in charge. And I don't know if Sarah and her friend might dress up as princesses or something and change clothes. I don't know any of that.... but obviously I've been thinking about it. Because I'm uncomfortable with the situation.

We've hit the age of play dates where I don't stay at the house. And now we're at the age of play dates with people that I don't know very well.

Sarah's friend is super sweet, and I'm glad that they're friends. And I'm glad that the things that concern me just by looking at this family are things that don't concern Sarah because she's too young and innocent to filter things and make judgments like I do.

But I don't want to tell myself that I'm overreacting, even though I'm very willing to concede that I might be. Too many times you hear about parents (and usually women) who don't trust that nagging feeling in their guts because they don't want to appear rude.

So I have to call this grandmother today and tell her that I'm not comfortable with Sarah having play dates with people outside of the neighborhood. And I'm not good at disappointing people or having conversations like that. In a lot of ways, I'm such a people pleaser. I certainly don't want to offend her, so I need to be careful with how honest I am.

I'll invite this little girl over here. I'm great with that. She can come over as often as she likes. But I have to make it clear that Sarah can't go over there because I don't want to be dreading the inevitable, "Can Sarah come over here and play?" if I don't tell her now that she can't.

Much like swimming lessons, I'm sure this seems like such a small "problem" and it should be no big deal for me to handle. I am, after all, an adult. But it's the stupid stuff like this that can put my stomach in knots.

And I'm obviously procrastinating on this deal... which is why I'm BLOGGING about the phone call instead of MAKING the phone call. :)

Career Day

This week has been College Week at Sarah's elementary school. I love that they already start planting that seed in Kindergarten.

Today's theme was "Dress up as whatever you want to be when you grow up." (Except it was phrased better than that.)

Like a lot of little girls Sarah's age, she wants to be a teacher. :)

So the big question she had was, "How do I dress like a teacher?"

Tons of jokes sprang to mind. You know how you have those slackers that fall into teaching by default. They never try to be any good. They never try to look professional-- or even cute. They wear capris, flip flops, and wrinkled shirts when it's 30 degrees outside. They're the reason that people think, "Those who can, do and those who can't, teach."

So I was thinking, "It depends on what kind of teacher you want to look like."

But instead I told her, "You just want to look cute, put together, and smile a lot. Teachers should be very friendly."

So we found these really cute jeans and a fur-trimmed vest from Janie and Jack that I had forgotten she had. (Faux fur of course... ha ha) She really looked good. Dressed up without being in a dress.

And then I asked her, "What else does Miss Rushing wear?"

She said, "Well she has a badge that she clips on her pants."

So I got my old badge and put Sarah's face on it and clipped it to her jeans.




And I said, "Something's missing. There's one other thing that every teacher I know has to have."

I made her a cup of coffee to take with her to school. I put the "Caution: Contents are HOT" warning on the side. It's more decorated than the picture shows.

(I recognize some teachers are not coffee drinkers and are usually Dr Pepper drinkers. But I didn't have any of those on hand.)




With her outfit, smile, badge clipped on and coffee in hand, she looked just like a teacher to me.

So sick today...

Last night at about 7:45 I felt a migraine coming on. So I went to bed and prayed I could sleep it off.

I couldn't.

This morning at 4:00 I got up and took Advil and couldn't go back to sleep. (Later in the day, that Advil would switch to Aleve and eventually that Aleve switched to me busting out my pain pills that they gave me after I had Caroline.)

When I laid down my head was POUNDING. When I sat up I was dizzy and knew I was going to throw up.

So after realizing that this wasn't going away, I got up at 6:00 and prayed for the strength to get through the morning routine. I'm sure we've all felt that sick.

I made coffee and laid down on the couch.

I made Sarah's sandwich and sat down in a chair.

I made Jack's sandwich and curled up on the floor.

After every step, I had to take a break and get myself together. I knew I'd feel better if I would just let myself get sick, but I always try to fight that feeling for as long as I can.

So at 6:20 I knew I needed to tell Jason that I wasn't ok.

I went into our room and fell facedown on the bed and said, "Jaaasooon, I need you."

To which he said, "You hate me?"

"No, I need you. Why would I say I hate you?"

"I don't know. I'm still half asleep."

(No point to that conversation. I just thought it was funny.)

I told him that I would go back into the kitchen and get backpacks ready and breakfasts made but that I couldn't make it upstairs to wake and dress Sarah. He said he would take care of it.

So I crashed. Dead to the world.

He got Sarah dressed and took her to school.

He got Caroline up and changed and fed.

He got Jack up, dressed, and took him to school.

Then he checked on me and got in the shower. He was hoping that he had given me enough time to feel better and so he was getting ready to go to work.

About 9:45, I told him that I had already gotten sick once and I wasn't any better.

So he said he could stay a little longer. By 10:30 I was begging him, with all the strength I had, to please not leave me today. I couldn't hold anything down. The light and noise in the house were excruciatingly painful. My head hurt everywhere. Behind my eyes. Everywhere. I was still dizzy. I knew there was no way I could pick up Caroline.

I'm so thankful it was a school day where 2 of the kids were gone most of the day. That made this a really great day to feel bad.

So he took the day off for me. And he kept the kids quiet. And he got a load of laundry done. And he handled all of the problems that arose during the day. He left me alone. The kids left me alone.

I told him, "I love you so much more right now than I did yesterday."

And it's true. I do. :) I try not to ever need help, but because I try to do it all by myself, I'm a wreck a lot of the time and I never have the chance to look at Jason and think--as cheesy as this sounds-- Ah, my hero.

Today he was my hero. I could NOT have gotten through it alone. He stepped up and allowed me to take the day off work.

And when I FINALLY felt better at about 6:00 tonight, I came into the den and saw my kids who I had not seen all day and it was great!! They missed me. They looked so happy. They had tons of stuff to tell me. And part of me thought, "This must be what working people feel like when they haven't seen their kids all day." It's kinda nice.

So even though I hate that I wanted to die all day today... (and I did want to die... I would've bargained with God and promised Him all kinds of things if He would take away my pain except that I couldn't even think straight enough to form a thought to attempt to bargain)... at the end of the day, I love and appreciate my family so much more.

And I've realized that Jason's very capable and there's nothing wrong with asking for HELP.

The Super Bowl's coming to Arlington

And of course Dallas and Fort Worth are taking all the credit. But whatever.

I have to say that I don't even kind of care. My general attitude is whoop-dee-do.

Maybe it's because I don't follow professional football. Maybe it's because it's not happening right around the corner from my house. (I tend to stay within about a 5 mile radius of here.)

Who knows why. I just don't care.

Until now.

This morning I heard a sampling of the parties that are going to be going on the week of the Super Bowl. Pam Anderson is hosting one. Hugh Heffner will be in town. Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Taylor Lautner... The list goes on and on.

And those are celebrities I can get goofy-excited about. The sports people... eh. People on the cover of gossip magazines? Coming to Dallas?.... I'm already trying to get babysitters so I can crash the parties and stalk the guests. ;)

So finally I'm on the bandwagon.... THE SUPER BOWL IS COMING TO THE METROPLEX! YIPPEE!! :)

This Year Get a Runway Body

That was the subject line for my email from Victoria's Secret.

BTW, I get tons of emails from them. You'd think I must shop there a lot, but I don't. Much to Jason's dismay I'm sure. And if I do, it's usually to get pajama pants.

But anyway...

Somehow--and I'm just guessing here ;)--I wouldn't get this body (or that face or that hair) just by buying these clothes...

But if I could, I wonder if they'll ship me some as a priority next day delivery????!!!

Exhausted

This has been an exhausting week. Whenever you're trying to get back into the swing of things after vacation, it's always rough. And I am TIRED!!!

Hey-- I just overheard a commercial for the news. (I guess the TV's up pretty loud.) It said.. "Wanna lose weight AND save money? I'll tell you how at 6:00."

Um, I'm gonna guess: Stop buying food. That should accomplish both goals, don't you think?

Tomorrow's Friday!!! Yippee! :)

Done...

The kids are enrolled at Emler Swim School. (All but Caroline.)

I think before we shell out that much $$ on her we'll wait and see if she'll just take to the water like she has with everything else.

Jack, Caroline, and I signed up today before lunch. Once he realized where we were and that I was signing him up for swimming lessons, he started to cry and said, "Mom, I don't want to do a head bob. I'm scared."

I told him that it will be fine. That this teacher's job is to teach swimming lessons... just like Mrs. Lynette teaches preschool. I reassured him that Sarah and he will be in the same class and so they can be buddies. And that each lesson only lasts as long as one episode of "The Fresh Beat Band". :)

I also tried to convince him that when he tried swimming this summer he was 3. Now he's 4, and things will be so much easier for him. He can do this!!

He seems pacified for now.

I have to let Sarah know soon. I'm going to try the whole "You're 5 now. You've grown up. You can do this." route before I shift into the "You don't have a choice" mode.

This whole experience has made me realize that I'm a bigger pushover than I thought.

I don't let my kids get away with murder or anything, but it causes me stress to see them scared or worried or upset.

I can hold them down for vaccinations---no problem. But that's quick and it's over.

I almost lost it when I had to hold Sarah down and force so many things on her when she had her tonsils out. I hate it.

So I know that this will be a HUGE growing up experience for me as a parent. I will be tougher and a better parent by the time swim lessons are over. :)

And just like pottytraining, this, too, shall pass.

Reading List

Everyone is posting their 2011 reading lists. And I don't have one.

Confession: I'm not a big reader.

I can't enjoy sitting down with a book.

First of all, like any good Baptist who is willing to take on unnecessary guilt, every time I sit to read something, I think, "And yet you couldn't find time to read your Bible today. Shame on you, Julie."

Now I can find time to blog or email or whatever. But there's something about grabbing a book-- other than my Bible or some religious self help book-- from a bookshelf that makes me feel like my priorities are all out of whack.

Can we say "issues"? I could keep a therapist in business, let me just say.

And when I silence that needless-guilt-inducing voice... which I'm getting better at by the way....
Another reason I don't enjoy reading is I'm competitive with myself when I read.
How fast can I read this chapter?
Can I get 20 pages read before the news comes on?
Can I read 3 chapters before the kids wake up?
Can I read 3 paragraphs before Jason finishes brushing his teeth?

And I've spent so much energy reading fast to win the test I just posed to myself that I can't remember what I read.

Can we say "more issues"?

But when I can relax and get away and enjoy reading, I'm usually laying out by a pool. But then I worry that having my head tilted downward to read will leave a weird tan/burn line. Or I get sweat all in the folds of my neck. Or I need to flip and I can't read on my stomach; it hurts my elbows.

So--
I don't have a reading list for 2011. But I look forward to hearing about all the good books that you normal, non-issues-having grownups are reading. (Because that's what I've heard adults do. They read.) Be sure to give the Cliff's notes version of the book on your blogs so that I can pretend that I've read them too.

All-in-all he comes out ahead..

I was frustrated when Jason told me to only order one trunk from Target and see if I liked it before ordering more.

You see, I need 4 trunks from Target. I say "trunk". It's a chest. Basket with a lid. Call it what you want.

I need 1 in each bedroom upstairs for toys. And I need one downstairs for coats, backpacks, lunchboxes---all those things that don't really have a "home" when the kids get home from school. So they end up strewn about on my kitchen floor.

I listened. Even though I knew I'd love it. I ordered 1. I waited 5 days for it. I LOVE IT!! And now I have to go back and order 3 more and wait another week. In the meantime, the kids toys from Christmas are still on my kitchen table. Bothersome.

And I'd be frustrated with Jason for not "allowing" me to buy all 4 at once EXCEPT...

that he told me Sunday that he thinks we should both upgrade to iPhones when Verizon gets a contract with them in April and that I need (I use the word "need" VERY loosely) an iPad.

I never mentioned either of those things to him. But I think I've told you that I have hated that I don't have internet on my phone. It makes waiting in waiting rooms so boring. And even though it's neither safe nor prudent to be on your iPhone when you should be watching your kids at the park, I still wish I had the option of zoning out on a bench, iPhone in hand.

I also think it'd be cool to do those Mobile Uploads onto facebook. I know I don't need an iPhone for that, but I can't do it with my current phone at all.

I still don't really know what I'd do with an iPad but he explained it as sort of a laptop where I could blog and email and stuff from our bedroom or on a trip and have a bigger screen than I'd have on a phone. Even though I still don't fully grasp how much I might or might not use the iPad (and I think it might just be a reason for him to buy a new toy), if he thinks I should have one, who am I to argue? ;)

SO, he lost a few points with the Target.com order annoyance, but he gained a zillion with the iPhone/iPad idea. All-in-all he came out looking ok. :)

Balloon Hair Bow

Because I referenced my balloon bow in my last post, I thought I'd post a picture of one... just in case either you never had one or don't know what I'm talking about.

But if you never had one, I'm shocked and I feel bad for you!! :) just kidding

Only story I have about a balloon bow... I remember that MaryAnn Means made up an ending to one of her stories for class that she escaped some type of danger by blowing up her balloon bow and floating away.

I think almost everyone had one of these things.

Another story about 5th grade MaryAnn, she got paddled by Ms Tekell. I felt so bad for her because it was really Aaron Nelson's fault.

And how crazy that we lived in a place and time that a teacher could keep a paddle on her filing cabinet and use it. Now you can't touch a kid at all.... to the point that you can't even hug a kid because it might be sexual harrassment.

Also... in 5th grade I BEGGED my mom to stop fixing me sandwiches and let me bring a Lunchable to school because that was THE COOLEST thing to do that year.

Don't know why I'm on a 5th grade mental path right now. Random.

Justin Bieber

He drives me nuts. I hate his hair. I don't understand the infatuation with him.

But I'm not 13.... or 8... or however old I'd have to be to like him.

He just seems too young to be singing songs about relationships.

But then that got me thinking about Joey from New Kids on the Block because he was something like 15 when they were big.

And that got me thinking about the fact that I was in 5th grade when I realized they were big. I never listened to them because I wasn't allowed to listen to anything other than Christian music for the loooongest time growing up.

But I remember someone had a tape and I'd listen to their music at other people's houses. Probably at Kristen Tolbert's house if I had to guess.

And then I remembered swinging on the swings at Lincoln singing New Kids' songs. (The parts that I knew since I didn't own any of their tapes personally.)

And then I remember Jennifer Biggers having a button of theirs that was the size of her head pinned to her jacket. It weighed down the whole left side of her coat.

And in Ms. Tekell's class... or maybe it was Ms. Goodman's... we had to make up anti-drug songs for Red Ribbon Week and I know I sang a song with Kristen and someone else that went...

You got the wrong stuff, baby
Hate the way drugs ruin lives.
The wrong stuff.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...
The wrong stuff.

And then I realized that, yep, the only reason I don't like Justin Bieber is because I'm too old now.

And thinking about 5th grade reminded that I loved my balloon bow then too. That has nothing to do with this post.. but more of a random thought about 5th grade.

Must. Learn. To. Swim.

Swim? But it's January...
I know, I know.

Alright here's the thing (and I would appreciate any advice from you.)

Sarah and Jack must learn to swim. They MUST. We have a pool in the backyard (fenced off of course) but still. And not to sound like social skills are just as important as safety skills-- BUT-- let's not kid ourselves... Sarah's in kindergarten and the number of peers who can not swim is going to do nothing but decrease. And the number of pool parties she's invited to is going to do nothing but increase.

But--yall---she's seriously scared. Scared, scared. Not whiny scared. Not "I'd prefer not to" scared. Scared scared.

She went under once, swallowed some water, choked, and it was all over. It took me weeks to get her to let me wash her hair in the tub again. She was so scared water would get in her eyes.

And once she got scared, Jack got scared. But I think his could easily be overcome. His is more sympathy scared.

Soooo I ramble about this now because Emler Swim School is now enrolling. It's expensive but I've heard GREAT things. And if they can get my babies swimming, I'll pay the $$.

I thought that having lessons at the house would be smart and convenient. Instead it gave them a fear of the pool and a fear that at any moment we might have an impromptu swim lesson.

I thought private lessons would be great. But I think Sarah needs a little peer pressure to not cry and not give up.

I don't know if it's wise to put Jack and Sarah in the same class... although age-wise they could be. I don't know.

I don't want to scar sweet Sarah. She's precious. She's not defiant. There are 2 things in life she is LEGITIMATELY afraid of... dogs and swimming. They're both very real anxieties.

And I don't want to stress her out that every Wednesday at 5:00 pm we have swim lessons. She's the sweet type of internalizer that will lie awake at night, dreading Wednesdays, and crying herself to sleep without ever telling me that she's upset.

I don't want that.

But Emler's supposed to be great. And it's once a week for 30 minutes for 20 weeks. January to May. Surely in 20 weeks she'll be more confident, right?

I don't want a Nazi who's gonna dunk her a hundred times in a row until she gets used to going under. That won't be good for her. I want kind and caring.

What do I do? Is this is a battle worth fighting at this age? Or do I wait for her to be embarrassed that she doesn't know how to swim and let her come to me and say, "Mom, I wanna learn."?

Please help. Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?

Because he was stalling when I told him to get dressed...

this is what I got. Refusal to cooperate. It looks like someone was trying to delay going to the grocery store with me.





But he swears it was his best effort. Um, yeah.
(And in case you can't see the button, even his pants are on backwards.)

Jack, Jack, Jack

I had my all-time favorite sitter, Laura, come over a couple of weeks ago and left her with all 3 kids. She's a trooper!!

I was relieved that Caroline had a couple of dirty diapers BEFORE I left and would be sleeping most of the time while I was gone.

So I told Laura it should be great. The kids are glad you're back from A&M, etc etc. See ya later!!

I got back. Got the report. Everyone was great.... except Jack peed in his pants.

Seriously???

And instead of showing any signs of remorse when Laura confronted him about it, he said, "Hey, it happens sometimes."

So she went upstairs with him to change his clothes and she told him that I wouldn't be happy when I heard about his accident.

So he said, as she's changing his clothes, "Well then maybe I should put on my 'I love my Mommy' shirt."

(He has a Valentine's shirt that says: My mommy is my Valentine. That's what he was talking about.)

Then she told him to go use the restroom and wash his hands. He went to the bathroom and came out, and she asked him if he washed his hands.

"Yep."

So she touched his hands and they weren't even slightly wet. She said, "No you didn't."

He got a big grin on his face and looked at her in amazement and said, "How'd you know??"

Thankfully, Laura's been with us since he was 2 and loves him because that's probably the only way she could keep from smackin' him upside his head.

That's what I'm workin' with yall. He has no problem lying. If he thinks I'm gonna be mad, he thinks an "I love you, Mommy" shirt will get him out of trouble.

I'm in for it. Big time.

And to his future ex-girlfriends that he cons with a charming smile, I'm trying... I swear I am. And I'm sorry.

Michele, I know I've said I want to put a little "hold" sign on Elizabeth for Jack. But I won't do that to her. Don't worry. Although I'm sure she's strong enough to call him on his B.S. ;)

Struggling with the blog....

I've had a hard time being in the groove of this blogging thing for the past 2 weeks. I haven't felt very creative or inspired. (Not that my posts are usually great or anything, but they've particularly sucked lately.)

Just wanted yall to know that I'm aware.

I also think you need to know that I'm PMS-ing. Or maybe you don't need to know that, but now you do. I can tell in the tones of my recent posts that I'm sort of angry-sounding. By next week, I should be over that. ;)

Excuse the lame posts lately. I think I'll feel a little bit more like blogging when everyone goes back to school, and we're back to the regularly scheduled program, if you will.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!